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BBC and Hulu tie up

35 Comments

From left: Kenichiro Mogi, who is a brain scientist and senior researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratory, "talent" Akina Minami, 5-year-old actress Konomi Watanabe, and TV personality Christel Takigawa pose for photos at the “BBC × Hulu Contents” event at the British embassy in Tokyo on Friday.

Hulu, an Internet streaming service, is showing the acclaimed BBC documentary "Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice," which was filmed using a fleet of motorized, camouflaged cameras. Mogi said: "Hulu will cause profound changes in the way we watch programs and movies. For example, we can stop a program halfway at home and restart it on the train. Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.”

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35 Comments
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The BBC? the Japanese will never understand witty British humor.

7 ( +13 / -5 )

The BBC? the Japanese will never understand witty British humor.

...and britisher will never understand japanese Kawaii :)

12 ( +13 / -3 )

I hope Hulu gets better in Japan. It's a good idea and nice to have subtitles in japanese, but tried it for a month and they only had bad 90s films on the catalog.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.

What?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Are these people crazy? That polar bear could turn on them at any moment and rip them to shreds!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

That's either the best polar bear costume I've ever seen, or they found a really tame polar bear.

Content-wise, Hulu's getting incrementally better. Their selection of movies is still full of holes, but I guess negotiating deals with the major studios takes time.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Right now there are 19 BBC productions available, most of them dating from at least a few years ago. Judging by the covers among fiction there is one series of old Doctor Who, old Torchwood, Life on Mars etc. Some good nature documentary series and joy of joys - Top Gear - 2 seasons are also included. No BBC Horizon, no Mock the Week, no Have I Got News For You, no Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the list of programmes not available is in fact too long to continue. But it is a good start. If they have a better choice and more recent BBC programmes in offer I will think about joining hulu.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

You can't help but smile at this photo. One of the most enjoyable pictures posted in a while.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

That is an amazingly real looking polar bear costume. I sure hope no parts of it are 'real' polar bear, as that would kind of defeat the purpose of promoting the animal.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.”

So Hulu will threaten the Japanese government into enacting laws and regulations favoring Hulu's presence in Japan on the pain of razing Tokyo to the ground?

Either Japan doesn't know history or has grown used to aggressive American foreign policy, I thought the guy on the far left was James May for a second.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I get Hulu via my PS3, so far zilch interested in paying the monthly Fee.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

looks like they stole the Coca cola bear lol

I got hulu a while back and its not so bad. I'm dissapointed that its still behind the american version. But i can watch some of my tv shows on there and a few movies.

They definitely need to boost their selection though. I wish i could get english subs for some japanese shows though.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

So what is the bear's name?

If you want decent British TV then go to uknovadotcom and download pretty much the best of UK TV except of course anything that is commercially available on DVD etc.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Another fluffy white animal, a 'haffu'... where am I? Its like Kim K. "White is the bestest color"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Woo-Hoo, they've got AbFab...! \(^o^)/

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The little girl Konomi in the polar bear cub costume is DARLING!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Zichi did you get paid to spam?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oh, great. I thought that Hulu was blocked in Japan. BBC is great.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

“Hulu will cause profound changes in the way we watch programs and movies [....] Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.”

That's a funny thing for a brain scientist to say, don't you think? Still I'll have to check Hulu out. Can't get BBC programmes from their website because of country/licence restrictions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“Hulu will cause profound changes in the way we watch programs and movies [....] Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.”

Sigh, even the brain scientists here have to trade in tired old xenophobic cliches

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Hulu is just like the Black Ships landing in Japan.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Has it used gunboat diplomacy to force a reclusive nation to get what it wants has it?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@some14some. You would actually be surprised. I lived in the UK for a few years and there are a large amount of people who love and understand japanese kawaii.

Anyways about that photo. It looks like they just shot and stuffed a polar bear...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Christel Takigawa looks so classy, I do not know what she is doing with this strange crowd though. It would be so nice if all women on TV looked so nice, and tasteful like her.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Good| Bad Serrano

Are these people crazy? That polar bear could turn on them at any moment and rip them to shreds!<

I wish the polar bear would turn on them this moment and rip them to shreds....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oh that's a shame, the most interesting British TV is produced by ITV.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

The BBC produces some excellent documentaries and music programs.

This is a step in the right direction.

Pity we don't have a TV.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Set the polar bear free

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For example, we can stop a program halfway at home and restart it on the train.

We've been doing it for what ? 20 years ?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Well, really i don;t see how polar bears gather any similarity with black ships. That is probably the only thing they will see when all the ice has melted in the Artic ocean. Poor animals been used by corporations for Branding.(Coke). I mean, i did not see the BBC documentary “Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice,” but i hope it will shed some light on how to avert their uncertain future in the Artic. From the title i gather that they portray them as great animals that deserved to be saved. I think they should send some to the South Pole to protect the specie from instinction in the wild. http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/local/article/1099997--personhood-rights-for-whales Just like at the convention for the advancement of sciences in Vancouver, they would like to establish that dolphins and whales are highly sophisticated beings that should be givenn rights. Okay Hulu and BBC, i hope you can save those great beasts. All sails away !!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Pity we don't have a TV.....

you don't need a tv for hulu, just a net connection and an ipad or android device or Pc....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

http://danieldiaztecles.blogspot.com/This is the real breakthrough of television: watch any program that is issued, but when the viewer wants. Although there are now systems such as Canal + in Spain, which offer similar possibilities. Takigawa Kristel is very beautiful black dress.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The documentary should be about the girl in the bear costume instead :P

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The "black ship" comment is a direct translation. Japanese often use the term "kurofune" as an idiomatic expression referring to something new and revolutionary.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

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